Animal-poke.



Patented luly I6, IQUI.

I. GUNDERSGN. A N I M A L PUK E (Application tiled Mar. 21. 1901.)

(No Model.)

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VER GUNDERSON, OF LAC QUI PARLE, MINNESOTA.

VlltNHVlAL-POKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,730, dated J'1115;"16, 190i..

n Application tiled March 21, 1901. Serial No. 52,202. (No model.)

To 1f/ZZ 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IvER GUNDnRsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at the town of Lac qui Parle, in the county of Lac qui Parleand State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements inAnimal-Pokes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to animal-pokes-t'.e., devices for engaging fencesor other structures and preventing animals passing through the same; andit consists in the peculiar and highly-efcient construction hereinafterdescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claim appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view illustrative of themannerin which my improved poke operates when a cow or other animalattempts to pass a wire fence. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the poke.Fig. 3 is a detail section taken on the broken line 3 3 of Fig.

2'. Fig/lis an enlarged detail perspective view illustrating the upperportion of the device. Fig. 5 is a detail section taken in the planeindicated by the broken line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailsection illustrat- .ing the preferred manner of connecting the springemployed to the hooks at the opposite ends thereof. Fig. 7 is aperspective view of the lower lever.

Referring by letter to said drawings, A is the yoke of my improved poke,which is designed to receive and be fastened on the neck of a cow orother animal.

B B are the upper and lower fence-engag ing and animal-prodding levers,and C is the spring which operates to normally hold the upper lever B inthe position shown and return it to such position after it is disengagedfrom a fence orother structure. The yoke A may be made of any suitablematerial and may be of any approved construction. I prefer, however, tohave it comprise a lower U- shaped section a, which is preferably ofconcave-convex form in cross-section, with its convex side inwardly inorder not to injure the auimals neck, and an upper U-shaped section b,which is also preferably concavoconvex in cross-section and has its endsarranged at the outside of the end portions of the section a anddetachably connected thereto through the medium of bolts c and nuts dthereon. The section c1. of the yoke preferably comprises two pieces ofmetal which terminate at their lower ends in parallel depending portionsd', and are connected together above said portions d by a curvilinearplate d2, while the upper section b preferably comprises two strips ofmetal which-terminate at their upper ends in vertically-disposedapertured portions g and have their upper curved portions connected bya'curved inetallc plate h, as best illustrated in Fig. 4.. By reason ofthe yokesections a l) being de tachably connected in the mannerdescribed the yoke may be readily and securely fastened around ananimals neck and may be as readily removed therefrom when desired,although it is not liable to casual displacement.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and et, the upper fence-engaging andanimal-prodding lever B is of right-angle form and has its apex portioninterposed between and pivotally con@ nected to the upwardly-extendingportions g of the yoke. The said lever preferably comprises acomparatively long upwardly-extending arm j, which terminates at itsupper endin an angular branch lt, designed to engage a fence-runner orthe like, and an arm l, which extends rearwardly from the lower Tend ofarm j and has its end flattened and toothed, as shown, so as to form aprod m.

The plate h at the upper end of the yoke extends forwardly from thesection b, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and serves to prevent the yokefrom chafng or otherwise injuring the upper side of the neck of theanimal to which the poke is applied. lt also serves for the connectionof one end of the spring C, the other end of which is connected to theupwardly-extending arm j of the lever B. The spring may be connected tothe forwardly-extending portion of the plate h and the lever B in anysuitable manner, although I prefer to connect it in the mannershownthatis to say, through the medium of an eye n, connected to plate h, ashackle p, connected to the lever-army', a hook r, engaging the eye nand having a threaded shank surrounded and engaged by the lower whirlsof the spring, and a hook s, engaging the shackle p and having athreaded or grooved shank surrounded and engaged by the upper whirls ofthe spring. This manner of connecting ICO the spring, which serves toreturn the lever B to its normal position, i's very strong andcontributes materially to the durability of the poke as a whole.

The lower fence-en gagin g and animal-prodding leverB preferablycomprises a comparatively long depending arm j', which terminates at itslower end in an angular branch Zd, designed toeugage a fence-runner orthe like, and an arm which extends rearwardly from the upper end of thedepending arm and is bifurcated and has the branches m formed therebytoothedat their ends, as illustrated. The apex portion of the lever B'is interposed between and pivotally connected by a bolt d3 to thedepending portions d of the yoke, as shown, and the said lever isobviously adapted to gravitate to the position shown in Fig. 2 after itis disengaged from a fence-runner or the like and normally rest in suchposition, so as not to chate or otherwise worry the animal.

In practice my improved poke is secured on an animals neck after themanner shown in Fig. I, and in the event of the animal attempting tojump or pass a fence or other structure the depending arm 7" of lever B'engages and is pressed rearwardly by the fence or otherstructure, andconsequently the arm Z of the lever is forced upwardly and caused toprod the throat or breast ot' the animal, with the result that theanimal promptly ceases its efforts to get over or past the fence orother structure. If the animal attempts to pass between the runners of afence, the army' of lever B will engage and be pressed rearwardly by arunner above the animals head, and consequently the arm lof the leverwill be forced downwardly and caused to prod the upper side of theanimals neck or body, with the same result as before. It will also'beobserved that it' an animal attempts to pass between the runners of afence, both the upper and lower levers will in some cases be engaged byrunners of the fence and caused to prod the animal. When the animalmoves away from the fence or other structure, as it is likely to do whenprodded, the lever B will be returned to and normally held in theposition shown by the spring (J, while the lever B will'gravitate to andremain'in the position shown in Fig. 2, and consequently the said leverswill be prevented frorn chafing, scratching, or otherwise annoying' theanimal.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that while my improved poke isvery simple and inexpensive in construction and embodies no frail partsthat are likely to be disarranged or broken in practice it maybedepended on to cause an animal to promptly desist from its efforts toget over or through a wire or other fence or structure.

AI have entered into a detail description of the construction andrelative arrangement of parts embraced in the present and preferredembodiment of my invention in order to impart a full, clear, and exactunderstanding ot' the same. I do not desire, however, to be understoodas confining myself to such specitic construction and arrangement ofparts, as such changes or modifications may be made in practice asfairly fall Within the scope of my claim.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Iatent,

An animal-poke comprising a yoke having the upper and lower U -shapedsections of concavo-convex form in cross-section, arranged with theirconvex sides inwardly, and detachably connected together, and alsohaving the plate h connected to and extending forwardly from the uppersection, the angular one-piece lever pivotally connected adjacent to theapex of its angle to upwardly-extending portions of the yoke and havingan upwardly-extending fence-engaging arm and a rearwardly-extending armterminating in a prod, a coiled spring, hooks connected to the plateofthe yoke and the upwardly-extending arm of the lever, and havinggrooved shanks engaged by whirls of' the spring, and the angularone-piece lever pivotally con-A nected adjacent to the apex of its angleto depending portions of the yoke, and having the rearwardly-extendingarm terminating in a prod, and the fence-engaging arm depending from theforward end of the rearwardlyextending arm whereby it is adapted tonormally hold said rearwardly-extending arm away from the animal.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

IVER GUNDERSON.

Witnesses:

F. H. HOUCK, T. I-I. KLEvEN.

IOO

